[VijayAnand1]

Originally Posted by Sebring

Can you please tell me what this 'cam lobe tempering/hear treatment issue' is? Which month batch is affected?

Seb, to delineate it per my understanding of the issue, it seems Gixxer 250s and some batches of the (V-Strom, mostly the 2022 make) were having coarse sounding valve train with noises progressively getting worse. Per the head mechanic, Suzuki has issued a recall along with the affected VIN numbers to the respective dealerships for a warranty-call which is to be done free of cost.

It seems though the tolerances of camshaft bearing were out of spec (vendor QC issue) and poor heat treatment of the cam lobes caused them to wear rapidly which can cause accelerated valve train parts wear.

This is what I was told. In the purview of things, I've shared my VIN number to the Service Head just so there's no loose ends all along.. 🤞

Cheers!
VJ

[ravikn]

Hi Friends,

Im planning to upgrade my 2015 Thunderbird 350. Did test ride both Himalayan 450 and vstrom 250. Liked them both. My daily commute is 40km in Bengaluru City peak traffic and mostly 1-2 rides in quarter with pillion and luggage. Not an off-road enthusiast but would like the capability to handle rough terrain during the tour if any. Pls advise if it is still practical and make sense to buy vstrom 250 vs all the new bikes that are being released in the recent months. Getting in to early 40s and weight management of the bike is also a concern for me.

Best Regards
Ravi

[Red Liner]

Originally Posted by ravikn

Hi Friends,

Im planning to upgrade my 2015 Thunderbird 350. Did test ride both Himalayan 450 and vstrom 250. Liked them both. My daily commute is 40km in Bengaluru City peak traffic and mostly 1-2 rides in quarter with pillion and luggage. Not an off-road enthusiast but would like the capability to handle rough terrain during the tour if any. Pls advise if it is still practical and make sense to buy vstrom 250 vs all the new bikes that are being released in the recent months. Getting in to early 40s and weight management of the bike is also a concern for me.

Best Regards
Ravi

I think the Himalayan is a much better choice between the two. Steer clear of the strom unless you like something about how it looks.

[girimajiananth]

Suzuki Matsuri, a quick view

Had the opportunity to visit Suzuki Matsuri today at Bangalore. Apple Suzuki offered me a couple of passes to the event , decided to check it out with my better half. Matsuri in Japanese means festival

The event was organized at JK arena , on Mysore road. The place was vast and had plenty of parking space. Lot of them turned with their gixxers and Vstroms.
As soon as you enter the parking space, I was redirected to a "free checkup" camp. The only thing that was done was a free chain lubing and nothing else.






The arena was well laid out, as I entered I saw a few stalls. Couple of gentle men from Suzuki inaugurated the event.




There was an art stall



Ceat had a stall, but it was empty there was no one in it.



There was a merchandise stall, nothing much in there. They had the yellow Suzuki jacket, some caps, mugs and T-shirts for sale. These things are pretty much available at the showrooms.



Rolon had put up a stall and looks like it was not attracting anyone.




A very good attraction was the stunt show performed by three riders, I must say they were pretty much talented. They were flaunting their skills on the Gixxers.





On one side, there was a test drive area for Gixxer, Vstrom and Avenis. you need to fill out a form, show your DL to get a ride.






The Vstrom TD had a small obstacle course and looked interesting.





This third gen Hayabusa was looking very good in black. Anyone could sit on it and get a feel.




Other Pointers.

Raghu Dixit was supposed to perform later that evening, but due to other personal commitments I had to leave and could not stay back.

There were a few food stalls incase anyone wanted a bite to eat.

A few riders spoke about their experiences with Suzuki, some PowerPoint slides about Suzuki was there too, but I had no interest in them.

In between the anchor would call for talents from the crowd and a few people who performed were given out goodies.

There was a lucky dip too, those who won the lucky dip were given out some goodies.

Overall a nice & well organized event, hope they do something more next year. I stayed only for a few hours. I was hoping for some accessory vendors to put up their stalls or Suzuki announcing their plans for India (If they have any), Q&A sessions, they could have done a lot more.

[VijayAnand1]

Originally Posted by ravikn

Hi Friends,

Im planning to upgrade my 2015 Thunderbird 350. Did test ride both Himalayan 450 and vstrom 250. Liked them both. My daily commute is 40km in Bengaluru City peak traffic and mostly 1-2 rides in quarter with pillion and luggage. Not an off-road enthusiast but would like the capability to handle rough terrain during the tour if any. Pls advise if it is still practical and make sense to buy vstrom 250 vs all the new bikes that are being released in the recent months. Getting in to early 40s and weight management of the bike is also a concern for me.

Best Regards
Ravi

The V-Strom is a great little Do It All motorcycle. With one simple caveat and that's not to expect too much from it. The design factor and certain aspects of the motorcycle doesn't automatically put it under the leagues for proper off-road, but it's a proper soft-roader and at that this thing shines. Roads, no roads, little bit off-roads, it can take on everything and chug along happily. She does have her own little kinks in her armor, but once you get used to the bike it wouldn't matter much.

The Hima and the Strom are both great choice. Make an informed choice. Here's my thread, hopefully it helps.

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/motor...ip-review.html (The Dapper Suzuki V-Strom 250 SX | A comprehensive ownership review)

Cheers!
VJ

[ravikn]

Thanks a lot for the response Vijay
I am mostly leaning towards vstrom for its easier handling in city traffic and reliable Suzuki engine. Have owned Suzuki fiero for 15 years and last 8 years with Thunderbird 350. I can say, we wouldn't need unplanned visits to workshop on Suzuki bikes 🤞

Getting good year end offers upto 25k INR.
Is there anything specific I need to check before booking and the delivery. Pls advise friends

Best Regards
Ravi

[VijayAnand1]

Originally Posted by ravikn

Thanks a lot for the response Vijay
I am mostly leaning towards vstrom for its easier handling in city traffic and reliable Suzuki engine. Have owned Suzuki fiero for 15 years and last 8 years with Thunderbird 350. I can say, we wouldn't need unplanned visits to workshop on Suzuki bikes 🤞

Getting good year end offers upto 25k INR.
Is there anything specific I need to check before booking and the delivery. Pls advise friends

Best Regards
Ravi

25k is good enough offer considering the festive season on fever pitch. You can go through my thread (link posted above) and other threads for thoughts and observations and pre-delivery checks. Almost all the threads related to the Strom 250 here on T-BHP are simply loaded to the brim with selective information for one's perusal. Good luck and hope to see you soon on the Strom boards.

Cheers!
VJ

[girimajiananth]

Originally Posted by ravikn

Thanks a lot for the response Vijay
Pls advise friends

Best Regards
Ravi

Considering the above points mentioned by vijay, I would suggest renting it for a day or two and see how it suits you during peak hours. This bike shines on highway no doubt, in the city you might be able to manage riding, but finding parking spot may be a challenge sometimes.

[ravikn]

Originally Posted by Red Liner

I think the Himalayan is a much better choice between the two. Steer clear of the strom unless you like something about how it looks.

Thank you for the response. My doubt is regarding the drivability and fuel efficiency of Himalayan in city during peak traffic hours. When I took the test ride, saw the radiator fan kicking in couple of times

Pls share some inputs if anyone has already got it. I have seen most of the YouTube videos for Himalayan but very difficult to find a review that does highlight both sides like pros and cons

Best Regards
Ravi

[Red Liner]

Originally Posted by ravikn

Thank you for the response. My doubt is regarding the drivability and fuel efficiency of Himalayan in city during peak traffic hours. When I took the test ride, saw the radiator fan kicking in couple of times

Pls share some inputs if anyone has already got it. I have seen most of the YouTube videos for Himalayan but very difficult to find a review that does highlight both sides like pros and cons

Best Regards
Ravi

Best to head over to the Himalayan thread with these questions. Honestly i am not a fan of riding a motorcycle in the city pun intended. Would get an Ather instead which trumps any motorcycle in the city commute business by a country mile and more.

[Sebring]

For the city I would choose VSTROM 250. The bike simply refuses to heat up. But then, because of reliability issues faced by few BHPians here, I'm afraid to endorse it whole heartedly. Quality looks like a hit or miss, to me.

[kaizengadi]

Originally Posted by ravikn

Hi Friends,

Im planning to upgrade my 2015 Thunderbird 350. Did test ride both Himalayan 450 and vstrom 250. Liked them both. My daily commute is 40km in Bengaluru City peak traffic and mostly 1-2 rides in quarter with pillion and luggage. Not an off-road enthusiast but would like the capability to handle rough terrain during the tour if any. Pls advise if it is still practical and make sense to buy vstrom 250 vs all the new bikes that are being released in the recent months. Getting in to early 40s and weight management of the bike is also a concern for me.

Best Regards
Ravi

Hi,
I ride in peak traffic and distance of >35km for office commutes.

+ Mileage 37-38kmpl
+ Heat Management: Engine heat never disturbs you. There is a fan on the radiator but I have never heard it turn on, not sure if it silent or engine temp is always in optimum range.
+ Enough suspension to go over city pot holes and sketchy speed breakers
+ Tubeless tyres

- Takes some time to judge and navigate through the bus and auto gaps due to handle bar size.
- Difficult to pull the bike out of parking (5.8 height + with shoes)


For city I can say confidently vstrom sx 250 is a better choice. On highway 450 wins because of its better top end and similarly on offroad 450 wins (obviously)

[ravikn]

Originally Posted by kaizengadi

Hi,
I ride in peak traffic and distance of >35km for office commutes.

+ Mileage 37-38kmpl
+ Heat Management: Engine heat never disturbs you. There is a fan on the radiator but I have never heard it turn on, not sure if it silent or engine temp is always in optimum range.
+ Enough suspension to go over city pot holes and sketchy speed breakers
+ Tubeless tyres

- Takes some time to judge and navigate through the bus and auto gaps due to handle bar size.
- Difficult to pull the bike out of parking (5.8 height + with shoes)


For city I can say confidently vstrom sx 250 is a better choice. On highway 450 wins because of its better top end and similarly on offroad 450 wins (obviously)

Thanks a lot for the detailed response kaizengadi

As mentioned earlier, majority of my use is in the city but would like a do it all bike.

Even on highway, im not looking at speeds beyond 110-120 as the travel idea would be to enjoy the ride and munch miles.

Going ahead booking with the baby Strom

Look forward for a good ownership

Best Regards
Ravi

[ravikn]

[quote=TravelMonk;5600933]Thank you!
True about the dead weight.



Thank you and I'll be sure to post updates.
That image is EXACTLY one of my fears with a crash guard.



I'd trust such a reputed brand to make good quality guards, but the local ones available for Vstrom, umm, I'm a bit skeptical.
For now, I'll get the small Suzuki guard, which has performed as it should for some people on the internet, and think about an adventure type guard if a trusted brand releases one, or if they make it compact and lighter.[/QUOTE

@TravelMonk, Did you get full crashguard for the vstrom? Just thinking if the dealer provided crashguard is good enough or need to go with the full guard. This just adds atleast 6kgs of weight to the bike. Pls share your experience

Regards
Ravi

[Sebring]

The VSTROM 250 is great on the highway. I very often take it to TamilNadu to experience the roads there, and it does 120-140 cruising speed without effort. You may read my bike ownership
https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/motor...ip-review.html (A STROM is brewing | 'Yalla', my Suzuki V-Strom 250 SX ownership review)

Originally Posted by ravikn

Even on highway, im not looking at speeds beyond 110-120 as the travel idea would be to enjoy the ride and munch miles.